vassilipan

"What happens to the mountain of surrendered items?

The bins of lighters, aerosols, knives and other materials are collected periodically by the Alabama Agency for Surplus Property, which contracts with the TSA to remove the items from the airport.

"We bring all that stuff back here and put things such as golf clubs on eBay," said Ben Dempsey, an administrative assistant for the stage agency in Montgomery, Ala. Other items are sold at state-sponsored auctions to nonprofit agencies or Alabama residents. The money collected is used to support the program."

Link: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/...708140316/1006

OrlandoFlyer

Yet another example of our Government stealing from it's citizens and other people profiting from it, all in the name of "security". Disgraceful!

coachrowsey

The TSA folks in CLT have some mighty good stuff

TierFlyer

Well, actually, the lost and found at ORD has been that way for years. At one point they were taking an entire skid of 'stuff' out weekly. Stuff included sunglasses, PDA's, etc, etc.

And our local stadiums (stadii?) have the same deal, depending on which government authority owns them.

So, you may dislike this process, but it's hardly extraordinary.

Superguy

People leave that stuff accidentally. If they don't claim it after a reasonable period of time, sure, sell it. Nothing unusual there.

TSA is confiscating stuff and either selling it off or giving it to others to sell off. That's theft.

hiltonhead

Bringing a prohibited item into a secure area, especially when it is posted that the item is prohibited, and having it taken from you is not theft. BTW...the definition of theft has nothing to do with the final disposition of the item...but other than that, you were right on.

erictank

In many cases (the vast majority, IMO), the items being confiscated under threat of force are of no possible threat to the safety of the passengers or aircraft in any way. Their confiscation constitutes armed robbery by the state. For the state to then PROFIT from said robbery, either financially by sale of the items or in public opinion due to publicizing of the "donation" of those items to some charitable cause, is even more unconscionable.

It's one thing if I left something behind at a security checkpoint, or on a plane - that's MY fault. If that same item is TAKEN from me (whether or not there are publicized "rules" about it - since said rules are nothing more than bovine excrement), that's THEIR fault, and worth getting angry about.

Superguy

Debatable when the prohibited item isn'ta threat. It's more like confiscation. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

You're right. This is theft with intent to sell and it's much worse. If TSA were confiscating and disposing of it properly (after all, most of this stuff IS hazmat right? :rolleyes), I'd have less of an issue with it. Confiscating and then having others profiteer off of something that TSA really has no business taking is just wrong.

htb

I wouldn't have a problem with them selling the confiscated items like they do for lost&found items IF they gave you the possibility to re-claim your confiscated item within a certain amount of time.

It's not like throwing it all into the trash would do anyone any good.

HTB.

polonius

stadia

Superguy

If they're safe enough to give away or sell, why aren't they safe enough to take on the plane to begin with? It's ridiculous.

htb

Because the one isn't necessarily related to the other? Of course, most items are not a danger for the plane itself but a danger to the other passengers on the plane. It's a confined space. You can't just move away if someone loses his or her nerves and runs amok. Someone running amok with a knife can certainly overpowered, but probably not before several people are hurt.

HTB.

vassilipan

Before the outright ban on pocket knives and excluding 9/11, exactly how many people were attacked by a knife-wielding attacker on a plane?

The risk does not justify the ban.

Superguy

Oh boy: person runs amok on the plane, splashing folks with water from his bottle and getting shampoo on them. Plane goes down in flames. Riiiight.

DEVIS

At least they'll be clean when they meet St Peter or the 70 virgins